The Era of Relative Peace: A World in Conflict Fan Fiction
by Gillan1220
Summary: SELF-INSERT: A summary of World War III and its aftermath in the 21st century being narrated by a 19 year old college student to younger high school students during a Christmas Program


The Era Of Relative Peace: A World In Conflict Fanfiction

 _World War III ended 24 years ago. It is often forgotten by the new generation of kids – those born in the late 90s onwards. However, some scars of the war remain – from Europe to Asia, to the West Coast of America to the Caribbean. For those who experienced it, the memory will always be fresh since it has only been roughly twenty years since the war. Being born in 1996, I myself will never know how it felt to live in an era where a major conflict swept the globe. Our parents and our grandparents still remember for they will share their stories. As they grow old, the young will share their stories as well, when they fade away. Because I am part of the youth, it is our role to spread their stories as the world prepares to enter further into the 21_ _st_ _century._

Friday, December 18, 2015

B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy

Cebu City, Republic of the Philippines

The whole day it has been raining. The sunlight never showed. After the haircut, I walked almost half a kilometer to my old high school, as all the taxis are full because of the rain and the Christmas rush. Today marks Day 2 of my visit to my old high school, since their Christmas program, entitled "Christmas with Pinocchio and Friends." I'm coming here again because yesterday's visit although successful, I did not see the fireworks display. Why I had to? It's because my friend over at USC-TC rushed me to get my ass over there because the food was running out. I had to run all the way from B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy all the way up to the MR[1] Building and it was all for nothing. The food didn't taste good and the lechon[2] was late. Entering the school lobby, I proceed to the third floor waiting area, where the mime dancers and the castle ladies holding area is located. Joshvic texted me that he would be little late due to the traffic the rain caused. I then enter the holding area of the castle ladies dancers. The mist has blocked out the front door, with some crude and childish vandalism drawn over the mist. I am met by Kassandra, my first new friend I made just five months after graduating from this school.

"Hi Gillan." Kassandra greets me.

"Oh hey Kass. I'm here for the second round." I tell her. "Well, yesterday was all for nothing, you saw my Snapchat?"

"Yes I did." She said.

"I did ran all the way up there." I pointed out to the direction of the St. Arnold Chapel, which is visible from B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy. "I was drenched in sweat when I arrived. Everyone was looking at me but I didn't mind. Food was not that good, lechon was late, and so on…"

"Aww, that's too bad." She adds.

"I should have stayed here instead…" I remark.

Edwin, Antonio, and Leanne then enter the room, all dressed up for the program later on. They all greet me upon seeing me. William, the student playing Pinocchio for tonight's performance, enters the room and greets me as well. He is bringing with him long noses as props. He then places LED lights on his fingers to practice his dubstep light performance.

"Hey Will, play Recess by Skrillex. I love that song." I jokingly tell him.

"Hey Leanne, Josh's gonna be late today, he told me." I inform her.

Edwin and Antonio then joke around to her, saying that everyone knows what is going on between her and my buddy. I shrugged off these jokes and came up with some crazy idea to vandalize the white board.

"Hey Leanne, is there marker around? I'm gonna vandalize the board behind me."

"There's always one in the cabinet."

I then write on the whiteboard: "The alumni was here. :P – 12/18/15." Leanne laughs at the statement I wrote. Then suddenly, another great idea came up with a crazier idea. I would make a timeline of how the school was established. The school was established in 1992 in Paradise Village as a playroom, but I decide to put the year 1989 and add a little history and some geopolitics in it, the year that defined the 80s and 90s and the story of today's world order. I place: 1989 – World War III begins in Europe, before putting in the following years all the way the way to present day. This is what I wrote on the board:

1989 = World War III begins in Europe.

= U.S. invaded by the Soviet Union in New York and Seattle.

1990 = China enters World War III on the side of the Soviet Union.

= Asian front of World War III opened.

= U.S. retakes Seattle, Washington.

= Nuclear War averted.

1992 = The school established as Play House Children's Center.

1993 = World War III ends.

1995 = Play House Children's Center transferred near Maria Luisa Subdivision.

1996 = I was born. Majority of Batch of 2013 were born.

1998 = Grade School Department of B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy opened.

1999 = Last year of the 20th Century.

2000 = Welcome to the year 2000! The new millennium has arrived!

= We survived Y2K! (It never happened)

2001 = 9/11 occurs.

2002 = Play House Children's Center recognized.

2004 = B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy transfers into a new location three minutes from original site.

2005 = All operations from preschool to high school now on new campus

2008 = It's a Bright World Concert

2010 = ONE Concert: A Concert for a Better World

2012 = 20th Anniversary of B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy

2013 = I graduate from B.R.I.G.H.T. :(

2015 = We are here. Present Day

My friends are amused on what I wrote. One even commented on how do I remember such dates or events. I tell them that I am a fan of history, alternate history, geography, geopolitics and Countryball comics, a type of satirical comics posted on the Internet. All of a sudden, I then say this to Kassandra, while also telling the others, like in a form of a sudden realization on how lucky we are to be born after the war.

"Our parents and our grandparents always say we, the kids of the late 90's and the 2000's are lucky we did not experience the fear of war. Now I am gonna ask guys? Did your grandparents ever tell you stories of the Japanese occupation of our country during World War II?

"Mine did." Says Kassandra. "My grandma used to tell me a lot."

"Well, we got one." I state. "You see, that's how lucky we were, we were not born in the times of World War II and World War III. We grew up in what is a relatively peaceful area, save for the War on Terror. We grew up in an era where terrorism is the new issue, but aside from that, we grew up with the Internet, social media, smartphones, the list goes on."

One asks me if I could say a summary of World War III. I accept.

This small circle of people who are listening to my conversation then became interested. Since these students were born around 1999-2000, they want to hear what really happened in World War III and how the Philippines was affected. Seeing this as opportunity to share what I know and learn, as what the Vision Statement[3] of the University of San Carlos and being an alumni of B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy, I then share what I know.

"First of all, just a disclaimer. I only know about the war from history books and reading the Internet. So the following I am going to share to you guys is what I have read and what have been told from my parents. So you guys ready to hear?"

"Yes." all of them replied. Antonio, Edwin, Kassandra, Leanne, and William then gather around as I began telling them a summary of World War III.

I then say this:

"Prior to the war, we all know that Soviet Union was economically bankrupt. In 1985, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev initiated reforms in his country both in the economy and the freedom of press, speech and religion. This was in order to restore the Soviet economy after it stagnated for the pass twenty years. The West, like the United States and Europe, viewed it positively as a change and thaw in East-West relations. In what we know glasnost and perestroika, the Soviet Union began opening up to the rest of the world. However, in 1988, Gorbachev was arrested in a coup d'état staged by hardline Soviet politicians and military officers. They demanded economic aid from the West or the Soviets would invade the rest of Europe.

"So what did the West do?" Leanne asks.

"The West, particularly NATO countries and the U.S., would only offer aid if the Russians would back down. However, the Soviets had a hardline stance on the matter; but so did the West. Forces along the Iron Curtain, both NATO and Warsaw Pact, placed their armed forces on high alert. The United Nations would try their best to avert the conflict through diplomacy and dialogue, but seemed to have no effect. Several peace talks were inconclusive. The final nail to the coffin was the Malta Peace Conference, in what was supposed to be that both NATO and Warsaw Pact would find an a final agreement on the Soviet Economic Crisis. Instead of finding a final peaceful solution, its apparent the conference didn't reach a historic agreement; that diplomats from either side walked out. The peace talks finally died down. It was time for the soldiers to take their place in the battlefield."

"What happened next? Your account is interesting." Says Kassandra.

"On June 4, 1989, the Soviet forces stationed in East Berlin destroyed the Berlin Wall and swooped right into West Berlin. American and NATO forces were caught off guard with the attack. They did manage to put a significant resistance against the communists. However, the Soviets were better prepared and numerically superior. West Berlin and all of West Germany fell after."

"Oh man, that's horrible." They all said. I understand their feeling, but we, including myself would never understand how it felt like those soldiers in the front lines. Those soldiers, especially the ones against the Soviets, feared that the USSR would dominate the world.

"Now, I'll continue. The worse was yet to come. The world dreaded the notion of world communism. This attack just occurred as the Chinese government violently suppressed the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. As a result, China was badly affected by sanctions placed by the United States and the European Economic Community, but ultimate chose to remain neutral in the war. Back to Europe, the Soviets enveloped Yugoslavia, Denmark, Finland, portions of Sweden and Albania. They also occupied northern Norway. The Soviets then proceeded to invade southern France, eventually annihilating the U.S. 6th Fleet and detachments of the Royal Navy coming from British the territory of Gibraltar. The Soviets managed to land on southern France and occupy a small portion on the Italian border. The Russians conducted air raids on several French cities, including Paris."

At this point, I can tell that the students I am sharing this too are even more interested to listen. I can see it through their facial expressions that they want to know what happens next.

"The United States finally intervened and drove the Soviets out of Marseille, together with the French Army and other NATO battalions. Italy also managed to expel the Soviets out of the French-Italian border. The U.S. Navy, the Royal Navy, and other NATO navies began reinforcing the Straits of Gibraltar for preventing any Soviet sub from leaving into the Atlantic. Meanwhile, U.S. Marines liberated Iceland from the Soviets. The Soviets finally were halted. At this time, a prototype bomber, now known as the B-2 Spirit, belong to the U.S. Air Force was shot down into deep within the Soviet Union. A contingent of NATO troops managed to destroy the wreckage; as well as some Soviet submarines before retreating due to the superior enemy forces. However, some submarines escaped into the Atlantic and began attacking the American East Coast. Targets included Virginia and New York. Several islands on New York City were occupied by the Soviets. It was at this time that Cuba joined in the war and attacked the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. They also launched raids in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as occupying the empty island of Navassa; all hoping to distract the U.S. from the Soviet attack in New York."

This statement shocked everyone. We all know that America was never invaded by any foreign army since the War of 1812. The attack on New York and the subsequent invasion of Seattle would leave a mark forever known in modern American history, the day they were finally invaded.

"Luckily, the U.S. forces managed to expel the Russians out of NYC, eventually saving the city and the Statue of Liberty as well. But a week later, the Soviets invaded Seattle, Washington. This was in the November of 1989. The Soviets, sneaky as they were, hid their forces in cargo ships. Seattle eventually fell, but the Americans were determined to fight for every last man and made it hard for the Russians. Neighboring Canada was also occupied, such as the city of Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Is it true that American civilians joined the fight? That they fought the Russians?" Edwin asks curiously.

"Yes, that's true. All thanks to the second amendment, also known as the Right to Bear Arms. The American citizens were very patriotic, grabbing any weapon or gun and shoot the invading Russians. Even though these guys fought irregularly, often aided by scattered U.S. Army and National Guard units, they did manage to inflict heavy casualties on the Soviets. As Christmas approached, the Soviets targeted Fort Teller."

"What made Fort Teller important?" asks one of the students.

"Fort Teller was the headquarters to the Strategic Defense Initiative, or the Star Wars project. It fooled the Soviets that America could shoot down their nukes. However, the project failed because it was too advanced for the year 1989. It was only during the beginning of the new millennium that America publicly announced the SDI was bust, although this was kept an open secret for some time, even during the war. The Americans defended the pass to Fort Teller in a town called Cascade Falls, but since the Soviet Army was too much, they…um…"

"What did they do…?" Asks Antonio.

Hesitating to respond, I say this solemn: "They nuked Cascade Falls in order to stop the advancing Soviets, thus protecting Fort Teller."

The six of them are shocked with what I said. I too am, it just proved how desperate America needed to protect what should be known. I do remember once, my parents as well as my relatives residing in Michigan telling me about America sacrificing one of their towns to halt a Russian advance. I realize this was Cascade Falls they were mentioned, but I was to young at that time they told me about it.

"What would happen if the Russians found out about the SDI scam?" Kassandra wonders.

"We would have had a global thermonuclear war." I solemnly state. "The Soviets would have been both pissed and happy if they found out it did not work. That would have meant they could launch their nukes around the U.S. and their allies, including us since we had U.S. bases in the country during 1989. We may not exist today." I could see the shock in their faces. Now I am beginning to see that they understand how fate hanged in the balance during that time.

"The threat of a nuclear war was not over yet." I continue. "The world entered the 90s decade with a global war still ongoing. The Russians themselves felt the invasion of America started to be of no use following the strike on Cascade Falls. Many of them began questioning the Soviet Communist Party and their honesty at home. Some began to stage mutinies as several divisions in the United States started infighting among themselves. Majority wanted to go home, go back with their families. For the Americans, the worse was yet to come. On March 1990, China declared war on the United States, NATO, and their allies and allied itself with the Soviet Union. Although the cause of the declaration of war is debatable, historians agree it is in connection with the sanctions placed by the West following the Tiananmen Square crackdown on June 4th, 1989 – the same day World War III started in Germany. China immediately attacked India, Burma, South Korea, and Taiwan. India and Nepal held bravely in the Himalayas, while Taiwan easily fell. South Korea on the hand was falling rapidly falling to both the Chinese and the North Koreans, who conveniently joined the war. U.S. and South Korean forces were numerously outnumbered, although they did manage to hold the line in Pusan."

At this point, Edwin comments his part. He tells us that his parents remember the day when the Chinese attacked South Korea. Everyone feared that the South would fall to communism, just as the Kim regime had hoped for since the 1950-53 Korean War. Because of the large amount of PLA and North Koreans and due to the fact that the ROK army and the U.S. Forces were outnumbered, almost every able-bodied civilian was conscripted to join the armed forces. Many of these would desert the battlefield, only to be shot by the commanders. The ROK military made it clear to everyone that "South Korea would fight to the last man." With this, resistance sprang up among the South Koreans were they would hold the Pusan Perimeter to the last man. They would push back the communists or die trying to defend the South. Edwin tells that some of his relatives defended the Pusan Perimeter. All of us thank his relatives for the defending the freedom of others and the generations to come.

"I would not be here today if history took a different path." Edwin reminds us.

Continuing where I left off, I then say what happened:

"Just World War III occurred in Europe, my parents and grandparents were shocked. For grandparents, I understood why. My grandparents' memory of World War II and the Japanese occupation was still fresh, even though almost 50 years had passed and now another World War was ongoing. My mother and father were still engaged and were to be married on the September of 1990. The country was shocked when China declared war on the U.S. This meant that the Chinese could launch attacks on the American military bases in Clark, Subic, and Baguio. During the early stages of the war, the American naval and air forces, as well as some of the Philippine Armed Forces were on high alert just incase of a Soviet naval attack via Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam. While this never came, the horror of China combined with the Soviet Union and their Vietnamese allies; the possibility on an attack on our country was almost true. In December 1989, the Philippines faced a coup attempt carried out by Marcos Loyalists and it almost succeeded if the United States didn't intervene. In February 1990, a devastating earthquake caused severe damages to several provinces in Luzon, including Baguio City. A month later, the Chinese declared war on America and its allies. After Taiwan fell, the Chinese used the island to carry out attacks on our country and on nearby Japan. Chinese jets and bombers would launch raids on Clark Air Base, Subic Naval Base, and Camp John Hay. Naturally, American F-16s, along with Filipino F-5 Tigers, would engage the encroaching Chinese jets. President Aquino, although she was against the war, had no choice but to declare that the country was in a state of 'defensive war.'[4] Although, these infringing Chinese aircraft were shot down, and any surviving pilots would be captured; we did however suffer our losses in this dogfights and air raids. My parents, maybe your parents as well, feared that the Chinese would soon invade just like what the Japanese did during the Second World War. Massive preparations and evacuations were made around the country, especially in cities around Luzon. Manila itself also had prepared evacuations. In the South, the communist rebels, mainly the NPA and NDF, rejoiced the Chinese entry into the war and they themselves would go on and attack both American and Philippine military installations. They would pose as an irritant as the country battled both Chinese jets over our airspace and the People's Liberation Army Navy in the West Philippine Sea. Meanwhile in Japan, Chinese aircraft would attack both the U.S. Marine Base in Okinawa as well as the airbase in the Home Islands. These jets however, were well taken care of with the combined force of the USAF and the Japan Self-Defense Force. It was at this time that both Hong Kong and Macau were occupied by Chinese forces. In Hong Kong, British forces surrendered after fighting for two weeks against the superior PLA. Macau on the other hand, easily fell because there were no Portuguese military forces present in the island since 1974. The United Kingdom was now dragged on to the Asian Front."

"What happened to Seattle afterwards?" One of them asks, although I forgot who did.

"Oh yeah, right, Seattle. The U.S. forces had to retake it since the Chinese sent in a large naval invasion force to reinforce the Soviet beachhead. This is turn would allow the Russians to expand further into the continental United States. The President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, faced a dilemma. One of his generals stated that the only way to stop the Chinese were two options."

At this point, someone cuts me in and wonders what these options were. I then continue:

"The first was to pull out American troops on frontline in Europe, but that would…"

"Am I right, Europe would be lost to the Russians?" Asks Leanne curiously. "My father used to tell me how Western Europe was on the brink."

"Yes, America would lose Europe to the Soviets, which would give them decisive victory in World War III. President Bush and Pentagon would not allow that happen."

"What was the other option?" William asks.

"The other option was to wait for the Chinese to arrive and Strategic Air Command, the nuclear forces of the United States, would drop a nuclear weapon in Seattle. The blast would have been bigger than that tactical nuke dropped on Cascade Falls only a few months earlier."

"But that would have provoke a nuclear response from the Russians right?" All of them ask.

"Most likely yes. A nuclear would have erupted if the United States chose the nuclear option. Historians agree this was the closest time the world has been to a nuclear war, closer than the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the False Alarm of September 26, 1983. So what the U.S. did was to organize as much of the scattered Army or National Guard forces and concentrate their attack on Seattle. The nuclear option was only to be used if the assault failed. They had a week to secure Seattle before the Chinese arrived. They placed anti-ship batteries around Puget Sound to buy themselves some time. They eventually made their attack on Seattle. Those forces were very determined, but for their determination, they paid a heavy price. First, of all, they destroyed much of the Soviet stronghold around Seattle, sinking two Soviet Navy destroyers, and eventually attacked the Soviet HQ as well. By this time however, the Chinese managed to pass the anti-ship batteries in Puget Sound, with losses of course. The U.S. forces managed to destroy the Soviet occupation HQ just as the Chinese arrived. Seeing that their Russian allies left, China ordered a retreat of its naval forces, as it did not have an amphibious assault capability. The remaining U.S. forces then mopped up any stragglers, killing some while capturing others. Majority of the Soviet Army that landed in America retreated back to the Motherland."

"And what happened next?"

"Well, the war was not over yet. Conflict raged in Europe and Asia. While the front lines in West Germany have stabilized and NATO preparing to push back the Soviets, America still feared the Soviets would return with a bigger force. Oh, if you're wondering why the U.S. Pacific Fleet did not intercept the Chinese, all I can tell was that what was left of the Pacific Fleet was defending Hawaii and the surrounding atolls. They could not let Hawaii fall to the Reds."

"OK, so I'll continue. Right after the Soviets retreated out of Seattle, the U.S., the U.K., and its Caribbean allies fought to expel the Cubans. By the end of March 1990, the remaining Cubans were expelled from the Bahamas. A week later, the allies liberated the Turks and Caicos Islands and Navassa Island. Cuba was invaded by the Americans after this, Castro and his cabinet was captured and imprisoned as POWs, ironically on Guantanamo Bay – which held out pretty on it's own for the duration of the war. The Chinese Invasion Fleet that retreated from Seattle headed for Japan. For three months, the Chinese shelled the Home islands, while continuing the air attacks on American and SDF bases within the country. However, by April 1990, they could not invade the islands, as the U.S. Forces and the SDF proved to hard to defeat as a combined force. Because they could not launch an assault, the Chinese asked the Soviets to send an invasion force to the island of Hokkaido. While the Russians were successful in occupying the island, they could not advance any further because majority of the troops were being poured into Western Europe. The allies were slowly pushing back the communists. This brought up hope to the West. Meanwhile, the Soviets that retreated from Seattle arrived in the port of Vladivostok. Majority of these were sent to prison or executed as traitors, but they eventually overcame the superiors and managed to rally the Soviet troops against the Communist Party."

"Why did they turn against the government?"

"Because the Soviet government lied to them and their families regarding the state of the war in Europe and America. Propaganda showed them easily chewing up Western Europe and the U.S., along with Canada and Mexico. Those troops who served in the frontline knew it was all lies. As I said, they were tired from the war. Majority of them wanted to live in peace, in peaceful co-existence with the capitalists. So one political officer rallied the mutiny, and he along with a famous commander, prepared a coup attempt."

"And who was this political officer and his commander?"

"From what I've the read, the coup was lead by a political officer named Valeriy Lebedjev and a commander only known by the name Romanov. Both of these served in Western Europe and America. They saw the slaughter of their comrades during the war. Subsequently, it was them who experienced what it felt like to fight patriotic Americans who greeted them with gunfire. They knew the Communist Party lied to them. Secretly, they exposed the truth to several divisions of the Soviet Armed Forces. He then plotted the date of the coup: September 28, 1990 as it would be the day the Party will be gathered in the Kremlin in Moscow. The CIA knew about this, but chose to stay out and be cautious. The CIA, along with MI6, began arming religious secessionists in Xinjiang and Tibet to keep the Chinese army busy. In South Korea, the frontlines once again stabilized after the Japanese managed to fend off the Chinese invasion fleet and managed to expel the Soviets out of Hokkaido (This was due to majority of the units ordered to pull out under the command of Major Lebedjev as he needed more men for the coup). South Korea and Japan out away their differences as they, joined by other allied forces such as Australia, New Zealand, and Great Britain, finally intervened in Korea. The Pusan Perimeter was finally reinforced, as both the Chinese and North Koreans began to be pushed back. The Commonwealth forces also launched an amphibious assault on Hong Kong. The territory was liberated within three weeks, though it was heavily damaged like Stalingrad during World War II. Next, they liberated nearby Macau. During the liberation of Hong Kong and Macau, majority of the PLA was sent in to Xinjiang and Tibet to quell the rebellions ongoing. By July 1990, the U.S. finally liberated Taiwan. By August 1990, the allied troops were headed to Pyongyang. The Chinese and the North Koreas tried to push back what they can, but they all new it was about to end. American bombers based on Guam had been dropping lots and lots of bombs on the retreating Chinese and North Koreans. Pyongyang was not spared in this bombings, but the allies had to capture Pyongyang. Every allied soldier was given a kill/capture order on Kim Il-Sung. Pyongyang was capitulated to the allied forces on September 6, 1990 with Kim Il-Sung himself captured by U.S. before he could commit suicide. He was to stand on trial for the crimes against humanity he committed during his brutal regime. Then later that month, on the 28th, the Soviet Coup began. As the General Secretary was making a speech to address the nation regarding the 'swift progress' of the war, Major Lebedjev, Romanov, and their troops stormed the Kremlin. The announced there was a coup and arrested all loyalist party members, especially the ones that started the war. He then took over the podium, announced himself as the de facto leader of the Soviet Union and that all armed forces were to stand down. He announced his intentions to seek peace with NATO and the West, as the war was too costly on both sides. Meanwhile, some of his troops freed Gorbachev from prison. A week later, Major Lebedjev returned the power of leadership to Gorbachev, and then the peace talks began. At first, the meetings were tense but eventually all agreed to meet up on Geneva, Switzerland on January 1, 1991. Switzerland, being a neutral country, was the perfect place to have a peace deal. Before the peace deal however, China erupted into the Second Chinese Civil War. It happened because troops were divided, majority no longer wanted to fight while a few portion wanted to remain loyal to the communist regime. These rebel soldiers would soon join forces with the Uyghur and Tibetans against the communist party. They would then release one of the ousted party members, who favored the students during the Tiananmen Square protests and installed him as the leader. The other leaders, the ones responsible the massacre and for entering the war, were sentenced to life imprisonment after the war – as revenge and death penalty reminded too much of the previous communist regime. This new China became a democracy. The new leader promised that the new Chinese government would grant more freedom of speech and religion. By November of 1990, the People's Republic of China became the Chinese Federated Union, one of the biggest democratic countries in Asia. Following his inauguration as President, he stated the China will now recognize Taiwanese Independence on the 1st of January, 1991 – the same date of the World War III peace talks. Not only will the new Chinese government recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state, but Xinjiang and Tibet as well. Meanwhile, around Eastern Europe, communist governments began to fall as the citizens there overthrew the communist regime in peaceful means, although in Romania, there was an uprising that saw the execution of the Romanian leader in the final days of December 1990. During this time, the President of the USSR ordered his soldiers not to intervene on the side of the communists, as it is the people's choice to become democratic. Around the world, a ceasefire was negotiated among the warring states just right before the peace talks. As the New Year's 1991 came, the peace talks came to an agreement. The USSR, according to the President, would bear the responsibility as the aggressor and would pay the reparations of the countries affected that would take decades to fully repay. The new Chinese nation also would also bear the burden of the previous communist regime's damages, from Tibet all the way to Korea. In East Germany, many citizens request the government to hold a referendum with West Germany on reunification. The referendum took place in the May 1991, and by the second anniversary of the start of the war, Germany was reunified as the German Federal Republic. World War III officially ended on January 1, 1991 following the peace talks. It was the deadliest conflict in human history surpassing World War II, with over 100-120 million dead, civilians and soldiers alike. Right now, the era we live in, what some our parents and our future grandparents fought for, is the era of relative peace."

They all are amazed by my story. Well, technically it's not a story but rather history being narrated by someone who is fascinated by it. A few questions remain though.

"What happened to the world after World War III?" asks Kassandra.

"Well, look at the time, it's 10 minutes 5:30. The teachers patrolling the holding areas will be probably let me down now, so I'll just say this quick. Well, China fragmented into these nations: East Turkistan (Xinjiang), Tibet, Taiwan, and the Chinese Federated Union. The USSR would dissolve in January 1st, 1992, following the independence of several former Soviet states and Russia itself. Trials for the war criminals began in 1995 and ended in 2000, with some executed while some imprisoned for life. Iran became U.S.-friendly again after the U.S. fought a three-way battle against the Ayatollah and the Soviets. The Middle East is also generally U.S. friendly, save for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, remnants of the Mujahideen who fought the Russians in Afghanistan. Afghanistan itself became a battlefield after the war, although the Taliban never captured Kabul or Kandahar as they merely fought a guerilla warfare similar to the our NPA here at home."

Seeing that almost everyone in the room had iPhones, I decide to take mine out as well, and state this:

"You see majority of us have iPhones in this room. Well, it's because Apple became the leading electronic manufacturer in the world, which is followed by SONY. It would take time for Microsoft and Samsung to become a level-competitor in the world market, as their headquarters were damaged during the war. As December 31, 1999 came, the world began to look forward to a better future. The same day, the Panama Canal's sovereignty was returned to Panama. 2000 came and Y2K never hit. The only problem the world face now is terrorism: as September 11, 2001 came, the Red Army Faction, a group of ultranationalist Soviets still bitter with the outcome of the war, would launch attacks on the U.S. and Western Europe itself. This launched the world into the War on Terror, with U.S., its allies, and Russia, invading several strongholds of the Red Army Faction. The U.S. and NATO would invade Afghanistan in 2004, to finally quell some of the RAF that infiltrated the country and to eradicate the Taliban and Al-Qaeda once and for all. In 2008, our world entered the social media revolution, as it became the symbol of the coming 2010 decades. The RAF would be severely weakened in 2011 as its leader was killed by Delta Force operatives in Baku. And now we are here in 2015, in an era of relative piece and modern technology."

"Wow, we're impressed of your knowledge Gill." They all said. "You really are good in remembering dates."

"No, I just read man." I jokingly replied. "Anyways, it's five minutes left I better go down now. Good luck on your performance later on. See you guys later."

"Thanks Gill." They all said as I left the third floor. Right now, it's almost 5:30 and the rain never stopped. I arrive in audience and settled down with my Korean friend Junho Lee. Together, we watch the second day of the program, noting many differences from yesterday's performance. Today, I can see there are missing gaps in the stage as many of performers already left for their Christmas vacation. The other alumni, the one from the Batch of 2015, join us. Sadly, there was no fireworks display because of the rain. Right after the program, I go back to the holding areas to give some Christmas gifts to Joshvic and Kassandra.

"Hey, Josh. You missed it man. I was talking about World War III and how it impacted our world." I tell him.

"Oh man, sorry I came late. Got stuck in traffic man because of the rain. Who did you share the history to?" Joshvic asks.

"Well, I shared it to them Kassandra, Leanne, Antonio, Edwin, Basty, and William. They were all amazed how I narrated it."

"Dang, would have been nice I was there." He adds.

"Anyways," as I present to him his Christmas gift, "Merry Christmas Josh!"

"Oh, thank you!" He said.

Our friend Rico comes by and we take a selfie with him. We then all group hug each other and wished a Merry Christmas to all. Afterwards, I then give to Kassandra my gift for her.

"Hey Kass, it's for you." I say. "Merry Christmas Kassandra, thanks for being a good friend."

Receiving the gift, she replies: "Oh thank you Gill, you're so nice" as she embraces me for it. Right after this, I prepare to go home with my friend from Tennessee named Christopher, who is my neighbor at the same time. He drops me at home as I thank him for it. As I arrive home, I begin to look back at hours ago when shared some piece of history. I also look back at the time I spent with my friends from the lower years at my old high school. It is something I will for sure miss. I then reflect on what is going on with the world right now, it is generally peaceful. My parents and grandparents are right, it is fortunate that my brother, my friends, as well as myself are born after World War III. Since we are the youth, we should learn from history and spread messages of peace, love, and hope. This is an era of relative peace and we, humanity as a whole, should do everything it takes to maintain this peace we currently are living in.

* * *

[1] Michael Richartz Buliding. This is where the tourism students of the University of San Carlos-Talamban Campus (USC-TC) hold their classes.

[2] Lechon – a Filipino delicacy served during special occasions. It also known as roasted pig.

[3] Part of the University of San Carlos Vision Statement is: "What they have, they share." Also, on February 22nd, 2014, I said to myself, that being an alumni of B.R.I.G.H.T. Academy, I would pass on what I know to the new students.

[4] Article 2, Section 2 of the 1987 Constitution states: "The Philippines renounces war as an instrument of national policy, adopts the generally accepted principles of international law as part of the law of the land and adheres to the policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom, cooperation, and amity with all nations." Only a defensive war, i.e. attack on sovereignty, is contemplated in this provision.


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